. >> we welcome president obama and governor romney. >> up close and personal for the first time in the campaign, the president and head in the polls and his challenger under pressure to change the dynamics. it was mitt romney who went on the attack from the start. >> my party is putting people back to work in america. they are suffering in this country. we talk about evidence. look at the evidence of the last four years. it is extraordinary. we have 23 million people out of work under the president's policies and middle-income americans have been crushed. >> the president counterpunched on tax and spending, insisting romney would serve only the wealthiest americans. >> budgets reflect choices. we will have to make decisions. if we are asking for no revenue, then that means we have to get rid of a whole bunch of stuff and the magnitude of the tax cuts you are talking about, governor, would result in severe hardship for people, but more importantly, it would not help us grow. >> for much of the debate it was a talented who appeared more relaxed, more animated, even when cut short by the